We Begin at the End

Sometimes you just pick up a book that hits you hard, the characters stay with you, even after finishing the book. This is one of those books.

Initially I found the pace of this very slow going, losing concentration, but as I continued it just grabs you. Setting the atmosphere in a small American town, Cape Haven, California, a place that has seen better days, along with characters you really want to care about.

Duchess Radley a thirteen year old girl, she calls herself an outlaw, she is old beyond her years, acting as parent, to her younger brother Robin and career for her mother Star who is either drunk or drugged up most of the time, but who’s sister Sissy, was killed thirty years earlier. The man convicted of her killing Vincent King is released from prison, and has returned to his home town. But Duchess is not worried about King being released she is more concerned about another figure who looms over her mother’s troubled life, Darke.

Walker, more commonly known as Walk is the Chief of Police, he was also a childhood friend of King’s, he picks him up from prison, still not understanding what happened the night Sissy died. But Vincent doesn’t want to talk of the past. Walk wants to know the truth. He believes his friend is innocent, he takes the reader through past and present, investigating the case that all had thought was solved many years ago, but at the same time protecting and watching out for Star, Duchess and Robin. He is a believable, endearing character, dedicated, determined and commendable.

At times you forget that Duchess is only thirteen years old, she has had to deal with far too much for her young years, she is tough, brave, and spiky. But the actions of Duchess start a chain of events that lead to tragic consequences. With some unexpected twists at the end this is a brilliantly written story. Atmospheric and heartbreaking.

I would like to thank #netgalley and #Zaffre for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest, fair and unbiased review.

Chris Whitaker’s latest novel “We Begin at the End” is his third novel, following his successes with “All the Wicked Girls” and “Tall Oaks”. This time his thriller is set in a small town called Cape Haven in California and features a rich, atmospheric narration and a deep, character driven theme.

Blurb - Thirty years ago, Vincent King became a killer. Now, he's been released from prison and is back in his hometown of Cape Haven. Not everyone is pleased to see him. Like Star Radley, his ex-girlfriend, and sister of the girl he killed. Duchess Radley, Star's thirteen-year-old daughter, is part-carer, part-protector to her younger brother, Robin - and to her deeply troubled mother. But in trying to protect Star, Duchess inadvertently sets off a chain of events that will have tragic consequences not only for her family
but also the whole town.

Foul mouthed, blunt and not frightened to offend, ‘outlaw’ Duchess Day Radley is arguably hard to like but as a mother myself, I totally endeared to her and truly felt her pain. Being a surrogate mother to her young brother and looking after her often drunk/drugged up mother must have been so hard for her and considering her young age herself did amazing well to make sure her brother was suitably cared for. The character that intrigued ,
me the most was Vincent King and I felt there could have been a bit more focus on him and his direct emotions.

Although this book is exceedingly descriptive which added to the already intense atmospheric location, it was perhaps a little too much for me and I found it dipped in places which caused my interest to wane. The plot is revealed very slowly which may not be to every readers liking and the twist in the tail is guessable if you can work out the logistics of it. A suitable ending created a well thought out denouement and conclusion to this interesting and emotional slow burn thriller, featuring fractured relationships, broken characters, love, loss and redemption.

2.5 stars purely due to the immense slowness of it.